Karen Johal [1] (born 13 March 1991) is a British actress of Indian descent. She is best known for playing Nicole Shelley [2] on season 3 of the Apple TV+ television series Ted Lasso (2020). [3] [4] [5] She gained further recognition for her portrayal of Noreen Khan in the BBC television series Phoenix Rise (2023). [6] [7] She is a graduate of The American Academy of Dramatic Arts [8] in Manhattan, New York where she starred on stage for The Public Theater [9] and performed live at Carnegie Hall. [10] In June 2023, she was featured in a national ad campaign for global messaging platform WhatsApp alongside British broadcaster Alex Scott. [11]
Karen Johal was born on 13 March 1991 in Birmingham, England, to British parents. [12] She is of Indian descent and has two younger brothers. Johal grew up in Aston and comes from a working class background. [13] She attended St. Clare's Primary School in Handsworth [14] and Perry Beeches Secondary School [15] in Perry Barr. [16]
At age 16 she enrolled at Birmingham Metropolitan College at the Sutton Coldfield campus, where she received A Levels in English Literature, Psychology, Fine Art and Drama. After finishing college, she began working full time as a retail assistant in Birmingham City Centre and part time at the Birmingham Hippodrome. Whilst working, she auditioned unsuccessfully for several UK drama schools with hopes of studying acting professionally. [17]
In 2014, after a successful audition in London, she was accepted into The American Academy of Dramatic Arts and relocated to Manhattan, New York. [18] After graduating in 2016 she was offered a place in the third year program, [19] performing in theater productions of Moira Buffini's Welcome to Thebes , Megan Cohen's Truest [20] and Qui Nguyen's She Kills Monsters . [21] Johal also starred opposite Scottish actor Alan Cumming in original musical Me and the Girls directed by Douglas Carter Beane. [22] The musical was choreographed by Lorin Latarro and featured original music by Noël Coward. [23]
In 2017, Johal starred in the off-Broadway production of Julius Caesar [24] directed by Oskar Eustis [25] at Shakespeare in the Park for The Public Theater. [26] Later that year she performed on stage at Carnegie Hall in the premiere of The Journey to America for Orchestra Moderne. [27] The performance was directed by Amy Andersson and composed by Emmy award winning American composer Lolita Ritmanis. [28]
Johal was well received by critics and the performance garnered positive reviews in The Huffington Post [29] and The New York Classical Review. [30]
The following year, Johal starred in a number of off-Broadway theater productions including As You Like It [31] [32] and The 7th Inning Stretch for Miles Square Theater in New Jersey. [33] She played a series of leading roles in the short films, Frank's Plan (2018) for Amazon Prime, [34] Man on the Phone (2019) [35] and the YouTube web series Everyone Else Has (2017). [36]
In 2020, Johal relocated to the UK, due to the global pandemic. [37] [38] [39] The following year she played the lead role as Una in David Harrower's Blackbird [40] and the role of doctor/therapist in Duncan MacMillan's People, Places and Things . Both productions were regional premieres performed in the city of Lichfield, Staffordshire. [41]
In late 2021, Johal starred in a national Christmas commercial for global retailer TK Maxx. [42] The commercial, called "Christmas to the Maxx", [43] was directed by Raine Allen-Miller and aired in the UK/ Europe. [44] In Spring 2022, Johal performed at the Sky Comedy Rep festival at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre. [45] Sky Comedy Rep is an annual comedy festival, featuring original one-act plays from new playwrights. [46] Writers are paired with mentors throughout the research and development stage. Past mentors have included Meera Syal, Guz Khan and Sanjeev Bhaskar. [47] During the festival Johal was cast in the new play Mismatch written by Ashfaq Gorsi and directed by The Rep's Artistic Director Iqbal Khan. [48] The production was performed across two nights in March 2022 and was hosted by Birmingham Comedian, Daren Elliott. [49]
Later in the year, Johal was cast in the newly commissioned BBC television series Phoenix Rise . [50] The show was written and created by Matt Evans and Perrie Balthazar. Phoenix Rise follows a diverse group of teenagers who have been excluded from a West Midlands school as they begin their first steps back into education. [51] Johal played a recurring role on the series as Noreen Khan. [52] [ irrelevant citation ] Production took place in Coventry and lasted over six months, filming up until the end of 2022. [53] Season one launched on BBC iPlayer on 21 March 2023 [54] and on 12 April 2023 it was confirmed a second series would be aired later in the year. [55] A third and fourth series has also been commissioned by the BBC. [56] [57] In 2024 it was announced that Johal would not be returning for the third season citing scheduling conflicts.
Whilst working on production for Phoenix Rise, [58] Johal auditioned for the role of Nicole Shelley on the hit Apple TV+ series Ted Lasso . [59] [60] The award winning television series starring Jason Sudeikis, Hannah Waddingham and Nick Mohammed, began production on its rumoured final season on 7 March 2022. [61] [62] [63] [64]
After an initial audition for executive producer Sudeikis and the casting team at Theo Park, [65] Johal won the role. Season 3, aired on Apple TV+ on 15 March 2023 [66] [67] and the character of Nicole Shelley was introduced in episode 7 "The Strings That Bind Us". [68] Johal played Nicole Shelley, the younger sister of Nathan Shelley, played by Nick Mohammed until the third series ended on 31 May 2023. [69] In March 2024 Apple TV+ officially renewed Ted Lasso for a fourth series. Filming is expected to begin in Summer 2025, not all cast members have been confirmed, with negotiations currently underway. [70] [71]
In June 2023, it was announced that season 3 of Ted Lasso had been nominated for 21 Emmy awards including Best Comedy Series. [72] [73]
In January 2024, Johal received a nomination for Outstanding Ensemble in a Comedy Series by the Screen Actors Guild Awards for Ted Lasso. [74] [75] The awards ceremony took place in February 2024 as it was delayed due to the SAG AFTRA strike, which ended in November 2023.
Johal was cast in a short film for MTV Entertainment titled The Waves (2023) for The Corner Shop in aid of Women's History Month in March 2023. [76] The short film was directed by Bafta award winning director Sindha Agha [77] and aired on Comedy Central, Paramount, VH1 and all channels owned by the MTV Entertainment Group.The short film was developed in concept, based on a poem by Virginia Woolf. [78] "For pain words are lacking", the focal point of the piece centered around the female body and relation to pain. [79]
In Spring 2023, Johal relocated to Hamburg, Germany, to play Zarina in Ayad Akhtar's The Who and the What. [80] The production ran for six weeks at The English Theatre of Hamburg with an all British cast. [81]
The Who and the What directed by Clifford Dean was met with overall positive reviews from the German press. [82] Several media outlets made mention of Germany's previous productions of the play, for its controversial decision to cast white actors as Pakistani American characters. [83] Akhtar's play has been produced all over the world with notable productions in Vienna, Austria, Denmark and New York. [84]
In June 2023, Johal was approached to star in WhatsApp's global campaign, A Private Message alongside British Broadcaster Alex Scott MBE. [85] The campaign was launched to help promote WhatsApp's new chat encryption services for safe messaging and mental health awareness. [86]
Johal has also appeared in global campaigns for F1 sponsor Aramco Global [87] ,Northwell Health. [88] and the American Heart Association.
Johal currently resides in the UK. [89]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2018 | Frank's Plan | Kathy | Short film |
2019 | Man on the Phone | Felicity | Short film |
2023 | The Waves | Woman in Labour | Short film |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2022 | Ted Lasso | Nicole Shelley | Nominated for Outstanding Ensemble in a Comedy Series [90] |
2022 | Phoenix Rise | Noreen Khan |
Year | Title | Role | Director | Playwright | Theatre |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2007 | 4.48 Psychosis | Lead | Sally Humphreys | Sarah Kane | Sutton Coldfield College |
2016 | Measure for Measure | Duke Vincentio | Sheila Bandyopadhyay | William Shakespeare | The American Academy of Dramatic Arts |
Welcome to Thebes | Eurydice | Barbara Rubin | Moira Buffini | The American Academy of Dramatic Arts | |
Me and the Girls | Nasim | Douglas Carter Beane | Douglas Carter Beane | The American Academy of Dramatic Arts | |
Truest | Jen | Jessica Holt | Megan Cohen | The American Academy of Dramatic Arts | |
2017 | She Kills Monsters | Farrah | George Heslin | Qui Nyuen | The American Academy of Dramatic Arts |
Camel | Ezme | Michael Bradshaw Flynn | Charly Clive | Under St. Marks | |
Julius Caesar | Lead Ensemble | Oskar Eustis | William Shakespeare | Delacourte Central Park | |
The Journey to America | MC | Amy Andersson | Amy Andersson | Carnegie Hall | |
Satisfaction | Sammie | Adam Fitzgerald | Nandita Shenoy | The American Academy of Dramatic Arts | |
2018 | Good Fit | Asma | Anna Loyd Bradshaw | Nkenna Akunna | Wow Cafe |
American As... | Anita | Peter J Kuo | Nandita Shenoy | Miles Square | |
Rise/Fall | God | Sheila Bandyopadhyay | Sheila Bandyopadhyay | Leviathan Lab | |
2019 | As You Like It | Phebe | Alexis Confer | William Shakespeare | Teatro Latea |
This is Me | Claire | Yudelka Heyer | Barbara Bernardi | The American Academy of Dramatic Arts | |
2020 | The Tempest | Caliban | Ryan Cupello | William Shakespeare | SoHo Shakes |
Lysistrata | Lysistrata | Alexis Confer | Aristophanes | Teatro Latea | |
2021 | Blackbird | Una | Christopher Buckle | David Harrower | Sandfields Pumping Station |
People, Places & Things | Doctor/Therapist | Christopher Buckle | Duncan Macmillan | Sandfields Pumping Station | |
2022 | Mismatch | Zainab | Iqbal Khan | Ashfaq Gorsi | The Birmingham Rep |
2023 | The Who and the What | Zarina | Clifford Dean | Ayad Akhtar | The English Theatre of Hamburg |
2024 | Why Are You Here? | Lata | Paul Hayes | Radhika Iyer | An Tain Arts Centre |
Year | Title | Role | Station |
---|---|---|---|
2021 | Midlands Masala with Gagan Grewal | Guest | BBC Sounds |
2023 | National NDR Radio Hamburg | Guest | NDR |
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